New Oxfam report: Public not Private - the key to ending global poverty

In the report, prepared in collaboration with WaterAid[3], they argue that classrooms with teachers, clinics with nurses, running taps and working toilets are basic public services key to ending global poverty. The report goes on to affirm that only governments are in a position to deliver them on the scale needed to transform the lives of millions living in poverty.

This report shows that developing countries will only achieve healthy and educated populations if their governments take responsibility for providing essential services. Civil society organizations and private companies can make important contributions, but they must be properly regulated and integrated into strong public systems, and not seen as substitutes for them. Only governments can reach the scale necessary to provide universal access to services that are free or heavily subsidized for poor people and geared to the needs of all citizens – including women and girls, minorities, and the very poorest. But while some governments have made great strides, too many lack the cash, the capacity, or the commitment to act.

Rich country governments and international agencies such as the World Bank should be crucial partners in supporting public systems, but too often they block progress by failing to deliver debt relief and predictable aid that supports public systems. They also hinder development by pushing private sector solutions that do not benefit the poor.